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Snow White (character)
“''Lips red as the rose. Hair black as ebony. Skin white as snow.” : ―The Magic Mirror describing Snow White '''Snow White' is the titular character and protagonist of Disney's first animated feature-length film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. She is a young Princess; the "Fairest of Them All," who, in her innocence, cannot see any of the evil in the world. This makes her more vulnerable to her jealous stepmother, the Queen, who wishes to be the fairest in the land; however, Snow White's inherent kindness and purity inspires her friends, the forest animals and the Seven Dwarfs, to protect her. In the film, she is both a protective mother figure and an innocent child in her relationship with the forest animals and the Seven Dwarfs. She was orginally voiced by Adriana Caselotti and currently by Katherine Von Til. She is the first and youngest official Disney Princess and provided the basis for later heroines such as Cinderella and Aurora. Background Snow White was born into the royal family. Her mother died shortly after her birth. After some time, Snow White's father remarried a vain and cold-hearted queen. Not long after their marriage, the King, Snow's beloved father, suspiciously died, leaving the young princess an orphan. As a young child, Snow White's vain and wicked stepmother the Evil Queen feared that one day Snow White's beauty would surpass her own. So, she dressed Snow White in rags and forced her to work as a scullery maid to try to quench her growing beauty. Each day, the Queen consulted her magic mirror asking, "Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?" As long as the Mirror answered, "You are the fairest one of all," Snow White was safe from her stepmother's cruel jealousy. Snow White may have been a maid but she never complained when she worked and whenever she was sad she would always hum a tune to cheer herself up and her animal friends would visit. The people of the kingdom felt sorry for their princess when the Evil Queen made her a servant, but they could not rebel due to the Queen's power. Development Design The design and characterization of Snow White was influenced by both the heroine of traditional European romantic fairy tales and the popular Hollywood heroine. Early designs showing Snow White with blond hair suggest Eugene Grasset's depiction of the goddess of spring in Le Printemps as another influence; like Disney's Snow White, Grasset's goddess is closely connected to nature, and, as in one of Grasset's studies for the piece, Snow White entertains animals with music. Snow White's design was supervised by Grim Natwick, an animator who had previously developed and worked on Betty Boop at the Fleischer Studio. Early designs for the character resemble Betty Boop, and some appear to be caricatures of famous actresses such as Zasu Pits; however, Snow White's appearance, like the Queen's became less and less caricatured. For example, Hamilton Luske's first design for Snow White depicted her as a slightly awkward, gangly teenager. This design could easily have been animated without the use of live-action reference, but Walt Disney had a different idea in his mind; the character ultimately was designed to be older, and more realistic-looking. In order for Snow White to better relate onscreen to the seven dwarfs, however, it was decided that her head be slightly larger than normal. The ink and paint women felt that Snow White's black hair was too unnatural and harsh, so drybrushed whisps of light grey over the top of each cell. Personality “''Oh! What a cute little chair. Why, there's seven little chairs. Must be seven little children. And from the look of this table, seven untidy little children.''” ―Snow White regarding the Seven Dwarfs Snow White is well known for her kindness and optimism—both of which act as her greatest strengths, as they've guided her safely through the various hardships faced throughout her life. She is quick to charm, winning the trust and admiration of the Prince, forest animals, and the seven dwarfs rather quickly, proving her kindness and pleasant aura makes her a beloved figure. Coined as the "Fairest one of All", Snow White's beauty lies both within her physical appearance and pure heart. With no negativity within her, Snow White is the physical embodiment of positivity and innocence. She can also be playful, and somewhat sassy, as she takes advantage of Grumpy's sour disposition and initial dislike for her by teasing him, and continuously ignoring his rude remarks by keeping a soft smile or cheery glow, as opposed to acting out of shock, much to Grumpy's annoyance. Though generally childlike and gentle, Snow White can also be assertive, with the authoritative nature of a mother. Once she takes residence within the cottage of the seven dwarfs, Snow White takes control of the household, turning it from an unkept hovel to a clean and humble environment, something the dwarfs show acceptance and delight over. She furthered her authority by giving the dwarfs a designated bedtime, as well as forcing them to wash in order to eat dinner; though they showed great reluctance and made attempts to avoid the situation, they were ultimately unable to bypass Snow White's firm attitude. In addition, she showed leadership potential when guiding the animals around the house during their cleaning session, successfully instructing them on how to best clean the house and various items inside. Having been turned a slave in her own home by the Evil Queen at a relatively early age, Snow White is hard-working. In spite of her servant work being forced upon, she was shown efficient with her chores. In the dwarfs cottage, she didn't hesitate to clean the household upon discovering how filthy it was, never minding the work that had to be put into such a task. She doesn't take her blessings of finding shelter in the dwarfs' cottage for granted, instead making the decision to work for her residence. Possibly Snow White's greatest flaw is also her greatest strength. Due to her strong sense of kindness and goodwill upon others, the princess can be manipulated to rebel against the orders of others, such as when she invited the old crone (believing her to be a harmless, and sickly peddler woman) into he cottage for health care, disobeying the dwarfs' orders to stay away from strangers to do so. This would result in her downfall. However, as mentioned above, her loving heart is ultimately able to prevail, as her mutual love for the Prince ultimately saves her life, proving both the dangers and advantages of having a pure heart, and making her a more human character. Trivia * Snow White is the third Disney princess after Atta and Dot in 1998 from ''A Bug's Life. ''However, she is the first human Disney Princess.